walk calmly past the cat vs. dart towards it?

[Lilie]

While using a harsher collar might be a good band-aid, my suggestion is to control the behavior, not just correct it.

Teach your girl a solid 'leave it'. Start in an enviroment with out distractions, like in your home. Then slowly bring in distractions, such as the cat. The art of 'leave it' is to utilize the command before she can react to the cat. As soon as she begins to focus on the cat you use the command and then correct if she doesn't comply.

You can also use 'leave it' if she begins to react towards people or other dogs. A solid 'leave it' is like magic in most situations. Always remember to reward (throw a party!) the moment she turns her attention away from the distraction, even if it's for a moment.